13 March, 2012

I miss home! Home as in India that sits on top of small hill surrounded by greenery! The open space and the fresh air, the swing on large balcony and the little seating area in front of house, the rustle of Amma’s freshly starched cotton saree and the jingle of gold bangles in her hand, the sound of turning the news paper and the clicking of grandfather’s clock from my Appa’s study, the aroma of fresh blooms of jasmines and roses from my Amma’s little garden and the noise of leaves swaying to soft breeze, and the heady aroma of freshly brewed filter coffee and the roasted spices from Amma’s kitchen! Oh, I miss them all and more…

There are few things that you can never replicate, no matter how much you try! The smell of earth when the first drops of rain hits the ground, dancing in the rain with abandon, walking barefooted on the dew kissed grass, the taste of food cooked by your mother, drinking tall glass of chilled lemonade on a hot summer day, the first kiss by your lover, the feeling of euphoria when you held your baby for the first time and eating mangoes freshly plucked from mango grove!

Ah… Mangoes!!! The golden fruits sent from heaven… I can talk all day and night about mangoes, my love for them, the memories that attached with these juicy delights… one fruit that I eagerly look forward to eating is mangoes. Not just any mangoes, I am talking about the mango that grows at my granny’s place! I have quite many lovely memories attached with them, my childhood, adolescent, and even grown-up days, if I can say so! I call them “Mango Memories”! The scent of freshly plucked mangoes from the tree, the experience of eating raw mango generously dusted with salt and chilli powder that make you squeeze your eyes, the taste of golden mango that you greedily picked from the basket and taste it by abandoning all the elegance by making small hole on top and squeeze the pulp by scrunching your lips like a monkey, and the content you get when you lick the juice dripping from your hands and arms!!!

Well, one can dream of mangoes and relish their ‘Mango Memories’! The spring has just begun and it won’t be too long until mangoes, both emerald coloured and golden hued, flood the market… Till I can get my hands on these divine fruits, I decided to satisfy my mango cravings in the form of Mango Ginger!

Are you wondering what exactly is Mango Ginger??? Well, for a starter it is a root vegetable which has a distinct flavour of raw mango. Although it looks like a ginger and has raw mango taste, it doesn’t belong to either ginger or mango family. It actually belongs to the botanical family of turmeric (Curcuma longa) and hence it is known as Ambe Halad or Ambe Haldi in Konkani. We call it Manganari in Kannada, and it is largely used in making the pickles, preserves, and candies. It has many medicinal properties and supposed to be appetizer, antipyretic, aphrodisiac and laxative. Unlike raw mango, Mango Ginger doesn’t have sour taste to it. So usually tamarind is used whenever any savoury dish is prepared using them.

Today’s recipe of Mango Ginger and Coconut Chutney is a best way to use this fresh, aromatic root! Mango Ginger and Coconut Chutney require few handfuls of fresh ingredients and under 5 minutes you have a bowl of delicious, finger-licking chutney to dive into! Fresh grated coconut with mango ginger is a marriage made in heaven! The distinct flavour of mango will enthral and confuse your senses into believing you are eating raw mango chutney! And the heady aroma of tadka gives it an edge over any simple Coconut Chutneys.

Grind together all the ingredients listed above, except for the ingredients listed under tadka/tempering, adding little water at time. the amount of water depends on the consistency of the chutney or how thick or thin you prefer.

Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds and dried red chillies. Just when mustard seeds start to sizzle and pop, add curry leaves and transfer the tadka to chutney and mix them well.

Serve this delicious Mango Ginger and Coconut Chutney with any Dosa, Idli or Rotti and enjoy!

Mango Ginger (Ambe Halad/Ambe Haldi/Manganari) and Coconut Chutney

Sia’s Notes:

You can find fresh Mango Ginger roots in many Indian grocery shops.

You can replace Ginger with Mango Ginger for Ginger-coconut Chutney.

You can also add about ¾ tsp of Mustard Seeds while grinding for different flavoured chutney.

Sia,We call it Maanga Inji and I love the pickle they make it home..Such a simple recipe and I'd disposed the idea of making this way just because I thought it might be too strong to be used raw.. So, I am wrong..Got to prove it to my taste buds now..

Hi, stopped by your blog to check out Ambe Halad. Just got a large harvest of it, thinking that it must be turmeric since the leaves look the same. Was surprised to find a bunch of ambe halad! Loved your blog.

Namaste! I am Sia and welcome to Monsoon Spice, my virtual home. Thank you for all your comments, inputs and feedback. I really appreciate the valuable time you spent browsing through my recipe repertoire.

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About Sia

Born in India and raised in fun and food loving family, I currently reside in UK with my better half and my two babies, five years old son and nine years old food blog. My cooking style has strong root in Indian culture and at the same time embraces the world cuisine with equal passion. With never ending love for food, spice and life, I am passionate about cooking and making Indian food less intimidating, healthy and easy to cook which reflects in my blog Monsoon Spice which has been ranked one among Top Indian food blogs. Read more…

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